Regulating device for an elastic system with adjustment indicator especially for safety fixing device for skis

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a device for regulating an elastic system in a safety fixing device for ski boots, of the kind provided with an indicator showing the adjustment setting of the device, said device comprising: a fixing body mounted on said ski and provided with a jaw for retaining the ski boot in position; elastic means for locking said fixing device in a definite position with respect to the ski, said locking means being housed in said fixing device body and ensuring the retention of the boot on the ski; means for regulating the retention force of said elastic locking means by modifying the length of said elastic means, said regulating means being also housed inside the body of said fixing device; means for indicating the modification of length of said elastic locking means which is rigidly fixed, for movement in the direction of the length of said locking means, to said regulating means; and visualization means for said indicator means, said visualization means being rigidly fixed to the fixing device body and being located in the zone of displacement of said indicator means.

Salomon May 6,1975

[ REGULATING DEVICE FOR AN ELASTIC SYSTEM WITH ADJUSTMENT INDICATOR ESPECIALLY FOR SAFETY FIXING DEVICE FOR SKIS [75] Inventor: Georges Pierre Joseph Salomon,

Annecy, France [73] Assignee: S.A. Etablissements Francois Salomon & Fils, Annecy, France 22 Filed: Sept. 21, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 399,749

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 27, 1972 France 72.34232 [52] U.S. Cl 280/11.35 T [51] Int. Cl .A63c 9/08 [58] Field of Search ..280/l1.35 T; 116/135, DIG. l1 [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,528,673 9/1970 Myerson 280/1 1.35 T 3,693,989 9/1972 Forcht 280/1 1.35 T 3,774,925 11/1973 Jungkind... 280/1l.35 T 3,788,660 l/1974 Smolka 280/1 1.35 T

Primary Examiner-Robert R. Song [57] ABSTRACT The present invention relates to a device for regulating an elastic system in a safety fixing device for ski boots, of the kind provided with an indicator showing the adjustment settingof the device, said device comprising: a fixing body mounted on said ski and provided with a jaw for retaining the ski boot in position; elastic means for locking-said fixing device in a definite position with respect to the ski, said locking means being housed in said fixing device body and ensuring the retention of the boot on the ski; means for regulating the retention force of said elastic locking means by modifying the length of said elastic means, said regulating means being also housed inside the body of said fixing device; means for indicating the modification of length of said elastic locking means which is rigidly fixed, for movement in the direction of the length of said locking means, to said regulating means; and visualization means for said indicator means; said visualization means being rigidly fixed to the fixing device body and being located in the zone of displacement of said indicator means.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED RAY 6 I975 SHEET 2 OF 2 REGULATING DEVICE FOR AN ELASTIC SYSTEM WITH ADJUSTMENT INDICATOR ESPECIALLY FOR SAFETY FIXING DEVICE FOR SKIS The present invention relates to a device for regulating an elastic system which is provided with an indicator showing the value of the regulation of the device. The device according to the invention is. especially adaptable to safety fixing devices for skis.

It is in fact known that these fixing devices comprise an elastic member holding a jaw in the closed position and releaseable in the event of the use of excessive forces applied to the limbs of the skier.

In order to have available a satisfactory safety condition of the fixing device, it is essential that the force applied by the elastic member on the jaw may be adjusted to a pre-determined value as a function of various parameters and especially of the corpulence of the skier and the type of run carried out. In addition, when once this adjustment has been made, the skier must be able to check at any moment that it has been modified by the stresses which may be undergone by the elastic member during the travel of the skier.

Fixing devices are already known comprising such adjustment indicators, which are generally formed in a very simple manner by a pointer movable in front of a graduated scale, the'index being associated with the elastic member, of which it follows the variations of condition. However, a system of this kind has certain disadvantages, the most outstanding of which resides in the fact that it is difficult to read. In fact, the fixing devices are made as small in size as possible, and it is obvious that the skier when travelling does not have available any optical or other means for evaluating slight modifications of the value of the adjustment.

This is due to the fact that the travel of the pointer with respect to the scale is determined in known systems by that to which the elastic system may be compressed or released.

In spite of this, in order to obtain an adequate travel of the indicator, it becomes necessary in conventional systems to take into account the travel of the indicator during the construction of the fixation, and more particularly for the calculation of the elastic member.

It will readily be understood that this restriction has repercussions, not only from the economic aspect but also on the structure with which the fixing device may be provided.

In order to remedy these drawbacks, fixing devices have already been proposed in which the travel of the indicator is no longer directly associated with that of the spring. In these known forms of construction,-the screw serving to regulate the spring carries at least one member which drives, at every turn of the screw, a toothed wheel carrying the indicator.

It will be understood that if there are a number of members distributed on the screw, it is possible to obtain a large range of adjustment. However, these systems have an obvious disadvantage in that they necessitate the introduction into the fixing device of an associated mechanism which makes it heavier and increases its production cost.

The present invention proposes to produce a regulating device for an elastic system provided with an adjustment indicator, the construction of which is simple and inexpensive, and does not lead to any increase in the overall size of the fixing device. In addition, the device according to the invention makes it possible to increase readability by the user of the adjustment value shown on the indicator, this being permitted by the fact that the movement of the pointer is larger than the travel of the elastic system, or is at least equal to this travel when the latter has a sufficiently larger value.

To this end, the fixing device according to the invention comprises:

a fixing body mounted on the ski and provided with a jaw for holding the boot in position;

an elastic locking means for the fixing device in a predetermined position with respect to the ski, the said locking means being housed in the fixing body and ensuring the holding of the boot in position on the ski;

means for regulating the retaining force of the elastic locking means by modification of the length of the elastic locking means, the said regulating means being also housed in the fixing device body;

means for indicating the modification of length of the elastic locking means which is rigidly coupled for movement in the direction of the length of the locking means, to the regulating means;

and means for rendering visible the indicator means, the said visualizing means being ridigly fixed to the fixing device body and located in the zone of movement of the indicator means.

The arrangement of these devices is such that by the single actuation of the regulating means there is produced a movement of the indicator proportional or at least equal to the modification in the length of the elastic member.

In one form of embodiment of the invention, the regulating screw comprises two portions threaded with opposite pitches and two parts movable in translation engaged respectively on one of the portions, while two springs subjected respectively to the action of the moving parts and extending between a common reaction member and the moving part with which each of them is associated. In this case, the regulating indicator is preferably constituted by two blades which overlap in the central zone of the device, each of these blades being carried by one of the moving parts with which it moves. The two blades thus move in opposite directions, and the modification of length of the elastic system is equal to the sum of the movements of the blades.

It will be understood that it is only necessary to provide a graduated scale carried on one of the blades and co-operating with an index fixed on the other blade and intended to move with respect to the graduated scale in order that the indicator may thus register directly the exact value of adjustment of the elastic system.

It will be noted that this type of device may be employed more particularly in the case of front abutments.

According to another form of embodiment of the invention, more particularly but not necessarily designed for heel fittings, the regulating screw is made in such manner that, in addition to a threaded rod in engagement with the screwed portion of the moving part, it has a coaxial ring provided with a thread and which is engaged in a corresponding threaded portion of the fixed body. In this case, the coaxial ring constitutes the regulating indicator with the body of the fixing device.

The threaded portions of the threaded rod and the ring have the same direction and are preferably of different pitches. In order to permit a movement of the ring greater than that of the moving part which compresses the spring, the pitch of the ring will advantageously be greater than the pitch of the threaded rod, and the modification of length of the spring will therefore be equal to the difference between the pitches of the ring and the threaded rod.

There will now be described, by way of nonlimitative example, the two preferred forms of embodiment of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a general view in transverse section with re spect to the axis of the ski, ofa front abutment comprising the device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the system of FIG. 1 showing two extreme positions of adjustment of the elastic system;

FIG. 3 shows an axial section of the extremity of a heel fitting comprising a second form of construction of the device according to the invention, placed in an extreme position of adjustment, and

FIG. 4 shows the device of FIG. 3 in another position of adjustment.

In FIG. I there has been shown at l, a ski on which is mounted a base-plate l' of the fixing device 3 which pivots about a vertical pivot 2 rigidly fixed on the said plate. The fixing device 3 which will not be described in detail, may be of the same type as the abutment forming the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 3.455.570 filed on Oct. 24, 1967; this abutment carries in known manner a jaw M (see FIG. 2) which co-operates with the sole of the boot.

The fixing device is held in the axis of the ski by a conventional system indicated generally at 4, which permits the safety release of the fixing device and its automatic return to its normal position on the ski. As this elastic system is known, it will not be described in detail.

It will only be necessary to note that in the example shown, it is constituted by a regulating screw 5 extending transversely in the abutment body and having two threaded end-zones 6 and 7 on which are in engagement the moving parts 8 and 9 respectively fixed in rotation in the fixing device body but free to move in translation along the axis of the screw 5.

The threaded zones 6 and 7 have identical but oppositely-threaded zones so as to permit the simultaneous moving together or moving apart by the same amplitude of the moving parts 8 and 9 with respect to the vertical axis XX' of the fixing device.

The screw 5 passes freely through a reaction member 10 fixed to the base-plate l and serving as a support for cups l1 and 12 surrounding the screw 5 and in which are housed the extremities of two springs, 13 and 14, arranged in series. The most distant extremities of the springs 13 and 14 are supported against the moving parts 8 and 9.

It will finally be noted that the cups 11 and 12 grip between them a projecting portion 15 of the fixing device body.

The indicator device is constituted in the example shown by two blades 16 and 17 extending the cups l8 and 19, which are fixed by any known means to the moving parts 8 and 9 respectively, and which thus move together with these latter. The blades 16 and 17 overlap in the sone of the axis XX' of the fixing device underneath a reading window 20 formed in the upper face of the fixing device body and preferably As can more particularly be seen from FIG. 2, the

blade 16 will advantageously carry a numbered scale in front of which there will move the extremity 22 of the blade 17, which may possibly be coloured in order to provide clearer reading. In this case of course, the blade 16 will be transparent in order that the edge of the blade 17 can be seen underneath it.

The operation of the device described above is very simple to understand. If it is desired to increase the force of the springs 13 and 14 in order to stiffen the fixing, it is only necessary to turn the screw 5, which will have the effect of causing the moving parts 8 and 9 to be brought closer to the axis XX'. In consequence, the blades 16 and 17 overlap still more and the value of the adjustment can be read-off on the indicator.

FIG. 2 shows the two extreme positions of adjustment of the device. In this form of embodiment, all the graduation not covered by the coloured pointer is continuously visible, and the value of the adjustment is given by the largest figure which comprises opposite the pointer. As an alternative, it may be provided that the figure representing the value of the adjustment should appear by the coincidence of the two indicators, each of tham providing one part of the figure. As a further alternative, it would be possible to envisage a system which only showed the user one single figure at a time, in particular by providing a narrower window or by any other appropriate means.

In FIG. 3, there has been shown at 23 the body of a heel fitting (of which only the rear portion is shown) which is fixed on a ski 24.

Inside the body of the heel fitting is provided a spring 25 belonging to the locking system for the jaw of the heel fitting, which has not been shown since it does not form part of the present invention.

The spring 25 is supported against a part 26 fixed for rotation by a key 27, but free to move in translation inside the body of the fixing device.

In the axis of the member 26 is provided a threaded portion 28 in which is engaged a threaded rod 29 provided with a gripping head 30 and which is fixed to a ring 31 carrying a threaded portion 32 engaged in a tapped hole 33 formed in the fixing device body 23. The pitches of the threaded portions 29 and 32 have the same direction but of different amplitude, and the pitch of the threaded portion 32 is preferably twice that of the rod 29.

On the upper face of the fixing device body 23 there is formed in the threaded zone 33, a reading window 34 of the same type as the reading window shown in FIG. 1. However, in the example shown in this case, the transparent wall of the reading window is provided with a graduation which is thus stationary with respect to the fixing device body 23 and facing which there can be observed the displacement of the edge 35 of the threaded ring 32.

The operation of the fixing device is also readily understood. When the head 30 is rotated, there is caused the rotation of the ring 32 in the fixing device body and of the rod 29 in the threaded portion of the member 26. However, in view of the difference between the pitches of the threaded portions 29 and 32, for a given displacement of the ring 32, there will be simultaneously obtained a rotation of the threaded rod 29 in the membar 26 and a displacement in translation of this rod due to the effect of friction forces. By means of a suitable arrangement, it is thus possible to obtain, as is clearly shown by a comparison of FIGS. 3 and 4, for a predetermined travel of the member 26, and in consequence of a given stress of the spring 25, a double travel of the ring 32 in the body 23. In other words, the modification of length of the spring is equal to the difference of the pitches of the threaded portions 29 and 32.

What I claim is: 1. A safety binding for a ski boot comprising: a binding body mounted on a ski and provided with a jaw for retention of said boot on said ski, an elastic locking system housed inside said binding body and adapted to maintain said boot on the ski in a determined position, said locking system comprising two springs disposed in series and two parts movable in translation inside said body and fixed against rotation, each said part having a central threaded bore, each of said spring bearing, at one extremity, on a portion of said binding and, at the other extremity, on one of said two moving parts; a screw extending axially into said springs in series,

said screw having two threaded portions of opposite pitch engaged respectively in the corresponding central threaded bore of said moving parts, the actuation of said screw causing the simultaneous bringing together or moving apart of said moving parts;

two blades fixed respectively to one of said moving parts, said blades extending substantially parallel to said regulating screw in the direction of each other, their free extremities overlapping in a centnral zone of said binding body;

and a window formed in said binding body at the level of the overlapping zone of said blades.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which one of said blades carries a graduated scale and the other blade carries a pointer adapted to move with respect to said scale.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, in which the blade carrying said scale is transparent and moves above the other blade which is coloured.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which said two threaded portions of said screw have identically the same pitch. 

1. A safety binding for a ski boot comprising: a binding body mounted on a ski and provided with a jaw for retention of said boot on said ski, an elastic locking system housed inside said binding body and adapted to maintain said boot on the ski in a determined position, said locking system comprising two springs disposed in series and two parts movable in translation inside said body and fixed against rotation, each said part having a central threaded bore, each of said spring bearing, at one extremity, on a portion of said binding and, at the other extremity, on one of said two moving parts; a screw extending axially into said springs in series, said screw having two threaded portions of opposite pitch engaged respectively in the corresponding central threaded bore of said moving parts, the actuation of said screw causing the simultaneous bringing together or moving apart of said moving parts; two blades fixed respectively to one of said moving parts, said blades extending substantially parallel to said regulating screw in the direction of each other, their free extremities overlapping in a centnral zone of said binding body; and a window formed in said binding body at the level of the overlapping zone of said blades.
 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which one of said blades carries a graduated scale and the other blade carries a pointer adapted to move with respect to said scale.
 3. A device as claimed in claim 2, in which the blade carrying said scale is transparent and moves above the other blade which is coloured.
 4. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which said two threaded portions of said screw have identically the same pitch. 